64-bit DWG Reader for Autodesk NavisWorks 2009

[david.kingham]

Is now available to subscription customers! I installed it and it works great

http://subscription.autodesk.com

Release Date: 2008-09-21

Autodesk® NavisWorks® Manage 2009, Autodesk® NavisWorks® Simulate 2009 and Autodesk® NavisWorks® Review 2009 software are 32-bit applications that can be installed and licensed on a 64-bit operating system. This extension installs a file reader that offers DWG support for 32-bit NavisWorks Manage 2009, NavisWorks Simulate 2009 and NavisWorks Review 2009 when installed on a 64-bit operating system.
Content is currently available in English only.

[mitch.cornelius]

This is good to see. With Revit releasing 64 bit versions today, do you think we can expect our NavisWorks 64 bit version soon?

[david.kingham]

I wouldn't bet on it, I haven't heard a peep about it and there is no beta for it.

[Teresa.Martin]

This is good to see. With Revit releasing 64 bit versions today, do you think we can expect our NavisWorks 64 bit version soon?

On can hope it will be available relatively soon, but no word on this yet. It does work fine with 64bit however and I have noticed there is a speed difference, more then likely because I have more RAM on my system.

Best regards,

[wskene]

I have been looking for the link on the autodesk subscription website, but i cannot find it. Is it still available, or did they take it down for some reason?

Will this allow me to NWCOUT of AutoCAD 2009 mep 64 bit?

[david.kingham]

http://subscription.autodesk.com/sp/servlet/public/index?siteID=11564774&id=11607975

This is not for exporting from AutoCAD, it is to open dwg files natively in NavisWorks, that exporter is installed with NavisWorks

[wskene]

Thanks Dave

I figured out what my issue was. But I have another question for you, I can't seem to load the external tool for Revit to nwcout of my 64bit version of arch or mep.
Is this not an option with Revit being 64bit and Navis being 32?

[david.kingham]

In 2009 Revit you have to use 32 bit, the exporter does not work on 64 bit, 2010 is a different story though...

[david.metcalf]

I couldn't find it listed from my subscription login, when using search inside the subscription site I found a link and then I got a 404 page not found error.:cry:

Sent a email to Business Services to see whats up.

[david.metcalf]

Well I managed to get it and upon installing it get the error No install Product Found
I am installing it to Vista 64 and have NW 2009. Anyone know of this issue?

[benny_sticks2]

Hmm, I switched to Vista and ended up going back to XP. Too many bugs in Vista. Still getting the error?

[david.kingham]

I'm not too sure David, I have Vista x64 as well and it works fine. You should file a support request.

[Teresa.Martin]

Well I managed to get it and upon installing it get the error No install Product Found
I am installing it to Vista 64 and have NW 2009. Anyone know of this issue?

Hi. Alas, it currently does not work with Revit 2009 64bit...alas. You need to install 32bit.

Best regards

[david.metcalf]

Funny girl. :roll:

Alas, shouldn't the 64 bit DWG Reader version install and work in the Vista 64 bit OS?

Thank you kindly, whist I do go download 32 bitDWG Reader.

[david.kingham]

It should David, mine works fine. Teresa is referring to 64 bit Revit

[howardjosh]

has anyone had any problems with this on a networked license server? We have quite a few computers with NW-Review each with their own license but it is obtained from a license server. We recently upgraded to 64-bit machines and have been unable to open navisworks review 2009 since this patch was installed.

Any suggestions would be appreciated because the ability to refresh is of great importance, and having to nwdout all the time makes a very strong argument for 32-bit work stations that require navisworks on a day to day basis.

[RobertB]

has anyone had any problems with this on a networked license server? ... have been unable to open navisworks review 2009 since this patch was installed.Did you upgrade from 2009 to 2009.1 during this period? 2009.1 requires a new LIC file.

[howardjosh]

we are using 2009.1, but getting a license is not a problem. The problem is that navisworks won't load after the patch was applied. It isn't throwing up missing license errors. I was just hoping to justify trying to bypass the network. Mostly because it is hard for me to fathom how one of the more critical features(for me) of extremely expensive software is released broken, and the patch to fix it just makes things worse.

If the 64-bit AutoCAD 2010 is released without the ability to make any polylines I'd expect it would get fixed rather than having to wait for the 2011 release and pay for the upgrade.... Sorry, now I am just complaining. I'll stay in my CadCave....

[howardjosh]

My method for bringing back refresh in 64-bit navis since the Autodesk fix seems to only make things worse. Please note this is only effective if everyone in the office adopts it:
Step1
Open navisworks and goto TOOLS->GLOBAL OPTIONS->MODAL->PERFORMANCE
and make sure that "Close NWC/NWD files on load" is checked

Step2
Open AutoCAD and type "NWOPT" which will bring up the internal Navis Options Editor.
goto FILE READERS->DWG
and make sure that "Convert XRefs" is unchecked

Step3
Now that we are all setup to export small navis files that only pertain to our current objects we can setup AutoCAD to do an auto-nwcout command every time qsave is run.
this is my acaddoc.lsp


(setq error_backup *error*)
(command "undefine" "qsave")
(defun C:QSAVE (/ name)
(defun *error* (msg)
(setq *error* error_backup)
(setvar "filedia" 1)
(princ msg)
)
(setq name (getvar "savename"))
(if (= name "")
(if (wcmatch (strcase(getvar "dwgname")) "~*DRAWING*")
(setq name (strcat (getvar "dwgprefix") (getvar "dwgname")))
(progn
(initdia)
(command ".saveas" pause)
(exit)
)
)
)
(command ".save" name)
(setq name (strcat(substr name 1 (-(strlen name)4)) ".nwc"))
(setvar "filedia" 0)
(command "nwcout" name)
(setvar "filedia" 1)
(setq *error* error_backup)
(princ)
);end defun


Before we continue:
WARNING: if for some reason the error handling isn't bulletproof filedia set to 0 will disable most dialog boxes. There is an error in the nwcout/nwdout command that sometimes leaves the command open and will not allow a qsave/saveas to take place. Which is why ".Save" was used instead (it doesn't suffer from this problem). This must remain or you will get some error asking if you want to "retry" the command. Last thing that can be a real draw back is you are essentially doubling the time it takes to do a qsave, but setup in this fashion does make it more than reasonable.

Ok so we have redefined the built in AutoCAD Qsave to use our own custom one, setup navis to do an occational nwcout to update the files in the server. Last we need to use those NWC's.

Essentially you need to make an NWF file that is just a reference to all those nwc's. Lets call it a Master NWF. Note that this saves the nwc's to the same location as your dwg's so hunting them down to bring into navis should already be painless. If the need arises that you need to save a moment in time or keep/send an nwd of the projects current state..... just open the master nwf you've made and do a saveas to NWD Any other time you would need only open that nwf(s) to view the current state of the project.

[MetalliCAD]

Has this been resolved in Navis 2010?????

[tweaky]

Hope someone can help. We have rebuilt 2 machines, their specs as follows:

Windows 7 64-bit
AutoCAD MEP 2009 (ver C.711.0) 64 bit <-- patched to 3rd update
Navisworks Review 2009 (ver 6.0.444.99)

I have downloaded the patch to enable reading 64-bit DWG files, from the subscribers section of the autodesk webby. When I run the file 64bit_dwg_reader I get the following message:

"No install products found"

Then it terminates the setup. What are we doing wrong? We are running multiple 3d dwg files in navis (between 10-30 files) and the work around saying nwd each file out from autoCAD is just not do-able as it would take forever.

Alternatively would using Navisworks Review 2010 solve my problem? Does this have the 64-bit reader included?

Thanks in advance
Andy

EDIT: before you say it, yes i do realise navisworks is not supporting windows 7 yet, but it is running perfectly fine on both our machines... it just wont patch the 64bit reader. :)

[david.kingham]

The newest version of 2010 does include the dwg reader